The featherweight newcomer and injury replacement showed toughness early, but Poirier ultimately got the fight to the mat and scored a first-round submission victory with a combination mounted triangle choke and armbar.

The preliminary-card bout was part of UFC 143 and aired on FX following
additional prelims on Facebook. It preceded a pay-per-view main card at
Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Holloway, a 20-year-old who turned pro just 17 months ago, replaced injured Ricardo Lamas, who himself was a replacement for injured Erik Koch. Despite his opponent largely being an unknown to casual fans, Poirier was well aware of his striking skills, which is probably the reason he took the fight to the mat once Holloway opened up with strikes in the first minute of the fight.

Once on the mat, Poirier worked for an armbar and couldn’t get it, but he smoothly transitioned into a triangle choke, rolled to the mount position with it, and then got the tap-out when he added an armbar to the attempt.

The end came at the 3:23 mark of the opening round.

“I came here to get a win, and I got the finish,” Poirier said. “I’m 4-0 in the UFC now. Come on, guys. I’m here for real, and I just showed it again.

“I’m here to be a champion. One punch at a time, I’m going to be a champion.”

Poirier (12-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC), a former WEC fighter, solidifies his case for a title shot with his fifth consecutive win under the Zuffa banner. Holloway (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), meanwhile, suffers the first loss of his career.

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